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NASA Sets Record with Ion Thrusters Test

NASA has completed a 43,000 hour stress test — a record for ion thrusters — on a new rocket propulsion system that could extend future space travel to farther reaches of the solar system.

Developed by NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster Project, the 7-kilowatt ion thruster can burn 10-12 times longer than the conventional chemical thrusters used today. Though not practical for manned-spaceflight, the system could power exploratory rockets that reach outer planets and their moons.

To find out more, watch the video above and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Corona's entire career is educating the public -- especially kids -- about space. Her official title at NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is "Mission Mascot." But one of her main priorities is to get young girls to pursue careers in science. Oh, and she also trains to fly to space. No big deal.

The Curiosity rover is currently trekking around Mars on a historic two-year mission. The 'bot tweets almost every day to update the public with what she (yes, Curiosity is female) sees on the Red Planet. But she gets the most points for her winning personality.

Fifteen-year-old Clara Ma named the Mars Curiosity rover. Her science-filled feed proves that this teenager has a big future ahead of her. (And we'll gladly admit that she makes us feel like under-achievers.)

Simple and to the point, the lowflyingrocks account mentions every object that passes within 0.2AU (an astronomical unit is equal to the distance between Earth and the sun) of Earth. UK engineer @TomTaylor runs the account.

Scott Maxwell is one of the coolest handles on Twitter: @marsroverdriver. The engineer is the lead Mars rover planner, driving the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

We are rounding out our list with the best Mars Rover parody account we've seen. In fact, it's so good that a lot of the other people who made this list follow (and re-tweet) this hilarious take on the Curiosity Rover.

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